Make Him Smile
by TheWammy'sHouseReject
Summary: It started out as a bet- nothing too serious. But maybe Kisame can get more out of it than just the money on the table...


rabid plot bunny fluff. I have no excuse ^^;;; Something lighthearted for a change, so enjoy :D

Fanfics are read

Fangirls are blue

I don't own Naruto

So you cannot sue ^^

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(o.o)

(oo)

Deidara looked over his shoulder for the fifth time that day, glaring. Itachi was, as usual, sitting in a corner on his own, reading something or other. Refusing to interact with or even acknowledge anyone else in the room.

"Sure you don't want to play with us, Itachi-san?" Kisame asked him.

Itachi stood up.

"No thank you. If you'll excuse me…"

"Anyone else notice that Itachi never seems to smile?" Deidara asked as soon as he left, turning his attention back to the game of cards.

"Who hasn't?" Hidan asked. "All the guy ever does is sulk. He needs to lighten up."

"Tell me about it, hmm."

Kakuzu dealt out another hand.

"Good luck with that," he grumbled.

"Yeah. It's probably easier to get Kakuzu to smile than it is to get Itachi to be happy," Hidan said, smirking. "Ain't that right, Kakuzu-chan?"

The glare Kakuzu sent to his partner was enough to silence him.

They played a few more rounds before they got bored. Kakuzu left, mumbling something that nobody listened to.

"I wonder why Itachi's always such a downer," Hidan said, stretching out on the couch.

"You're bringing this up _again?" _Deidara complained.

"Yeah. I've been thinking about it for awhile now. It's weird, y'know. Everyone's gotta smile sometime."

"You're not going to start talking about the will of Jashin again, are you?" Kisame asked. "Because if you do, I'm gonna leave right now."

"Stop insulting Jashin-sama!"

"Whatcha guys doin'?"

Deidara grumbled.

"What do you want, Tobi?"

"I got bored. Do you wanna play with me, Senpai?"

You could almost see the grin under that swirling orange mask. Even on the gloomiest days, the little moron practically _oozed _happy. It annoyed the others to no end. Just goes to show how too much of _anything _can be a bad thing.

"No, I do not want to _play _with you, hmm. Go bug Zetsu or something."

"But Zetsu-san told me to come play with you!" Tobi whined.

"Look, if you wanna stay here, sit down and shut up!"

Tobi sat down cross-legged, leaning in close to Deidara like an obedient puppy.

"Whatcha guys talkin' about?"

"How Itachi can't ever seem to be happy."

"Ooh! Ooh! Why can't one of _us _try to make him smile?"

All eyes were on Tobi. Had he actually just said something _smart?_

"We could make a bet on it. Whoever can make him happy gets a hundred yen."

"Y'know, Tobi, that's not a bad idea, hmm," Deidara said.

"Tobi is a good boy?" Tobi asked, his voice full of hope.

"Yes, Tobi is a good boy," Deidara conceded, giving him an awkward pat on the head. "Alright, do we have a bet?"

"I'm in," Hidan said. "Should be good for a laugh."

"Me too," Kisame agreed.

"Tobi wants to play the game too!"

"Then it's settled. First one who can get Itachi to crack a grin gets a hundred yen. Let's make it a thousand if anyone can make him laugh, too. We'll meet back in the kitchen when we're done."

"Let's do this, hmm!"

**~O.O~**

"I can't do this, hmm!"

Deidara slammed his head onto the table, groaning.

"The jerk just won't be _happy, _dammit! I've tried jokes, I made my best explosions, I even tried being _nice _to him for once." He shuddered in disgust. "I give up, hmm. This is hopeless."

Hidan stormed into the kitchen, obviously enraged. Deidara looked up dejectedly.

"That sorry little asshole won't be happy, damn it!"

"That's _exactly _what I said!" Deidara shouted. "What did you try?"

"I tried converting him. What else?"

Deidara slammed his head back onto the table. Hidan headed straight for a bottle of sake and downed it in two seconds.

"I wonder how Tobi did, hmm."

Tobi came in, shoulders slumped, head hung in shame.

"It didn't work, Senpai. He just told me to leave him alone."

"Figures. So that means three of us are done."

"So where's Kisame?" Hidan asked, opening another bottle of sake.

"Dunno. We'll just have to wait for him, hmm."

**~O.O~**

Kisame found Itachi sitting outside, facing the setting sun.

"Hey, Itachi-san. How's it going?"

"Hn."

Itachi closed his eyes briefly before opening them again.

"Are you going to bother me, too?"

Kisame blinked.

"What do you mean, bother you?"

"Hidan, Tobi and Deidara. They haven't left me alone all day. Tobi I can understand, and maybe even Hidan, but Deidara has made it quite clear that he hates me."

He brought his leg up to his chest and rested his chin on his knee, letting out a soft sigh.

"I'd prefer to be left alone."

Kisame pretended not to hear this, instead taking a seat beside Itachi and turning to face the setting sun. A comfortable silence settled over them as they watched the sun sink lower over the horizon, the cawing of crows the only sound to be heard.

"I always enjoy this time of day," Itachi said, at last breaking the silence.

"Why?"

"The colors. It's like the sky itself is a tapestry, with some invisible artist painting it in a million colors. I've always felt that the most beautiful thing in the world was the sunset."

Kisame let himself smirk a little.

"Poetic, Itachi-san."

Itachi let out another sigh and leaned against Kisame's shoulder. Kisame found himself blushing a bit.

"Kisame, if you were to die right now, what kind of animal would you choose to come back as?"

Kisame shrugged.

"A shark I suppose. Or maybe a sea turtle."

Itachi snorted. Kisame's heart jumped. He had gotten that close to making Itachi laugh?

"Why a sea turtle?"

"Because they live for a long time, and they're kinda cute. And I like saying sea turtle."

The corner of Itachi's mouth twitched upward.

"I see."

"What about you, Itachi-san?"

"A crow."

"Why?"

"They fly free, up in the sky, not a care in the world. And…they have excellent eyesight."

A pang of worry suddenly shot through Kisame.

"…How bad has it gotten?"

"…Bad. I figure I only have a few months left before I go completely blind…Kisame, would you please let go of me?"

Kisame had almost unconsciously wrapped his arms around Itachi, holding him in a loose embrace. He tightened his grip and pulled him in closer.

"No. I don't think I will."

"Kisame…" Itachi warned.

"Shhh. Just relax for a minute, Itachi-san."

More silence. Itachi's tense body relaxed in his hold.

"What was that all about, Kisame? Why were the others so intent on bothering me?"

"To be honest, it was a bet. We wanted to see if one of us could make you smile for a change."

"Hn…"

Kisame could feel Itachi's warm breath on his neck. He felt thin and fragile in his arms, as though he would snap in half if squeezed too tight.

It was as if he was seeing Itachi for the first time. He had grown up. He wasn't that cute little thirteen-year-old with the Akatsuki robe falling off him anymore, body small and eyes seeming too wide for his face. He was a man now, with easy grace and boundless confidence.

Why hadn't he noticed before now?

Why hadn't he noticed how he felt his stomach flutter when Itachi was near? How his heart raced when their hands brushed together?

…It didn't matter.

He took Itachi's chin in his hand and lifted it so they were looking into each other's eyes. He closed his eyes and leaned in, pressing his lips to the other's.

Itachi made a little surprised gasp, which morphed into a needy groan. God, he'd wanted this for a while, hadn't he? There had always been a disconnect somewhere between them. Somewhere where they weren't quite in synch. Perhaps this is where they were lacking.

Itachi opened his mouth, a silent plea to deepen their kiss.

Tongues crashed together eagerly, giving and taking in equal measure.

Kisame pressed Itachi into the cool grass, attacking the soft, exposed skin of his neck with teeth and tongue.

There were no sweet words spoken as they paused, gasping for air. Itachi sat up, his face flushed, but his demeanor still as stone cold as ever.

Itachi was the first to speak.

"Are you going to say I love you?" he asked, his voice betraying no emotion.

"Do you _want _me to say I love you? Because, if you want me to, I'll say it a million times. I'd…do anything to see you happy, Itachi-san."

Kisame wanted to slap himself. that sounded so sappy, and Itachi was staring, oh, God, was he ever going to be pissed…

The corners of his mouth pulled up, and he smiled.

That smile lit up the dim light of dusk, the coldness melting away like snow in summer. It was a small smile. Not a wide, teeth-showing grin. But it was warm, and it was honest. It brought light into his eyes and made dimples in his cheeks. It made Kisame's heart flutter when he saw it. It was something truly beautiful, that smile.

And that suddenly made Kisame possessive of him. He briefly had the overpowering urge to lock Itachi away, so nobody could see that smile, to protect his beauty and radiance from the greedy eyes of the world.

"Well, Itachi-san, I see why you never smile."

"Why?" Itachi asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"With a smile like that, you could make anybody fall in love with you."

Itachi laughed, and his laughter was as warm and beautiful as his smile. It rang out from somewhere low in his chest, deep and echoing, like the ringing of a large, golden bell.

"You are something else, Kisame, you know that?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Kisame asked, pretending to be hurt.

"Nothing."

Itachi allowed himself to be held for a long time after that, as the final rays of twilight faded, and the stars appeared. He rested his head against Kisame's chest, listening to his heartbeat, despite that they had both been taught that if somebody could hear your heartbeat, they were too close. At that moment, neither of them cared.

Itachi briefly thought of Madara.

_That clever little bastard, _he thought, and he grinned to himself. he could never predict what his sensei would do.

**~O.O~**

Deidara's jaw was practically on the floor when Kisame walked into the kitchen with a smiling Itachi in toe.

"That'll be one thousand yen, please," Kisame said, smirking. "He laughed, too."

"Whoosa? Whatsup?"

Hidan raised his head from drained bottles of sake. He had long since passed "wasted" and was now completely and utterly trashed.

"Higuys," he slurred, before passing out again. Itachi chuckled.

"We were waiting for you, hmm," Deidara said grumpily. "What took you so long anyway? What happened out there?"

Itachi promptly hid a blush and excused himself from the room.

He closed his bedroom door before smiling again.

"Okay, Madara. What did you tell them?"

Madara got up off Itachi's bed, shrugging.

"I thought I'd help lighten your mood. Besides, I was bored. It was rather amusing to watch their failed attempts."

Itachi nodded, stretching out on his bed and closing his eyes.

"Goodnight, Sensei," he murmured, with a half audible "thank you" before he fell asleep.

Madara chuckled, giving him a pat on the head before he left the room.

* * *

><p>Tomatoes are red<p>

Kisame is blue

I know you'll be nice

And leave me a review ^^


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